I didn't see it anywhere in your post, were you carrying

I may be a rebel, but I don't back down either. I would have told him politely that I would continue taking photographs in a public park, and if he didn't like it, he would be free to take his kid and leave. I would have probably put my kids in the car, instructed them to stay there, then told the guy to pack sand. I have a stubborn streak a mile wide, must be my Dutch heritage.

I would have called 911. I don't think I would have left my current spot, but deff call 911. By the sounds of it, something was up. He didn't want you taking photos of his kids because he knew a few child rapers in prision, or he's wanted? You may go home that night and see him and his daughter on the local news?

Plus sounds like there were a lot of kids there. Probably best to do your best to walk away. Can't risk a threat where you may need to shoot the guy. A bullet may hit one of the kids..no good.

From HIS side Well, considering the courts seem to insist on leaving pedophiles on the loose, I can see this guys concern for protecting his daughter from them. His concerns could have been valid, if I had a daughter I would get the willies seeing someone taking pictures playing and would look for an explanation or just gather up the kid and leave. Threatening the person taking the photos steps over the line.

Me in your shoes when that happened I would have gathered up my kids and called the cops, carrying or not. Carrying doesn't give you the right to escalate the situation and in fact requires deescalation attempts. Having said that here is what I think you probably did. You snapped a picture of the asshat and he went off on you like a numbnut until he realized he was looking down a barrel. Right? Wrong? Spill the beans already.

He kind of already posted that he did that and it escalated to a death threat.

He was pretty much already to the risk beating the guy to a pulp in front of children or shoot him point.

As for what is next? Well, I didn't see the guy so if he posts, I laughed in his face, it wouldn't surprise me much. If I had a dollar for every ex-con I have met who thought somehow being in jail made him an automatic tough guy and then saw him get the crap beat out of himself because of that attitude, I could throw a party.

Ok gents, here it is. No I didn't brandish a weapon or threaten to do such a thing. California won't allow me to carry, but I do carry when I go home to MO or am in other states where I can do so legally. My only intent here was discuss the scenario. By my way of thinking the more of these we kick around and discuss the more prepared we will be when or if we are faced with a similar event where we need to make such a decision and ensure it's the right one.

We have never been to this park before and won't be going back after dealing with this tool. I do give the guy a few points for making sure I wasn't some pervert taking pictures of kids. I don't trust people in general for the most part and am forever keeping an eye on everyone. But had he been paying attention he would have known I was there with kids, how many and even what their names were. I say this because I kept calling my girls names to get them to look at me for the pictures.

Had he approached me differently to inquire about the subject I would likely have called my girls over to introduce them to his daughter so they could play. Had he shown me a little respect we might have even sat to BS while we watched the kids play. They looked to have been close to the same age and might have had fun. Or had he had a little restraint and asked about my picture taking I would have honored his requests. He of course instead delivered it as a demand. (If you're telling me to do something and you're not LE or one of my parents you can rest assured I won't do it. Ask me and you're bound to get a different response.)

But seriously, I was taking pictures at a public park when he walked up. Why should I have to stop taking pictures, which was my purpose on coming to this particular park, just because this guy takes issue with it? There were other play grounds in the same park so he could have gone to one of them. Instead he made the choice to be a tool.

From the beginning this guy was a pompous a-hole and I refuse to give a guy more common respect (common respect isn't so common any more) and decency than he gives me. He appeared to me to be one of those guys we joke about having the Napoleon complex .... short and has to prove himself. Perhaps I was wrong, but I figured early before he made his death threat that he was a blow hard. When he got that close I barked at the guy that he better get away from me and just leave. He collected his daughter and left. (When he told her it was time to leave she said she didn't want to go. His reply to her was that he was tired. If he did go to prison for 10 years he wasn't the man of his relationships!) But of course he stopped 4 times on the way to turn around and stare me down as he left.

He left and didn't make any more threats so I just let it go and didn't call the police. By the time they would have arrived him and his daughter would have been lost in the sea of faces in the park anyway.

Well looks like the situation was handled well. I seriously was expecting something more!

The more was never really my point. I figured my experience might be able to be a good lesson for someone else.

Whats better then a happy ending?

great post

glad it worked out without incident!

I disagree. In some cases, you can be threatened and not have an avenue of retreat. Also if some one else is the intended object of a threat, you have a responsibility to interdict. As CCW holders/responsible citizens we have an obligation to stand for those that can not stand for themselves. If in a situation that I can talk my way out of, or in a situation where some one else is threatened and I can talk them out of it, I will. However, I will never run away. If I run away, then the perp will only go after some one else. It is my responsibility as a citizen to see that this does not happen. I will step back, talk and try to calm the situation. If not, then I will dial 911 (this usually will bring a little sense into the BG) and if that doesn't work, will defend myself until the police arrive.

I was discussing this whole evolution in much greater detail that what I have posted here. Their take on the whole thing was to wonder if the girl hadn't been reported missing and the guy thought I might be a private investigator.

I agree with that statement except for the “CCW holders” part, my carrying a concealed weapon does not give me police powers to stop crimes or to defend anyone outside of my immediate group. In the original post there was no indication of the guy being armed nor was the poster stating that he was in a corner. Yes the guy was acting like an a$$ and claiming to have been a prisoner as to insinuate that he would do anything to achieve his goals.
To escalate the situation by confronting him and possibly pulling out your concealed weapon would irrevocably escalate the situation and the legal ramifications. It is true that the strong have a moral obligation to protect the weak as a father his first concern is to protect his children no play Rambo. So the gathering of his children and retreating to a safe location to call 911 would have been and is the right thing to do.

I still stand by my original statement of retreat first. Remember his obligation to protect his children not to protect the other weak of society. My belief is my family first, forever, and always then everyone else. Because I would feel a lot worse about losing my family before I would ever feel remorse for not having acted to save another.

Cold but True.

A man hath no greater responsibility than his children. For when they are born his life stops and there’s starts, all of his hopes and dreams are now conferred to them.

All it takes for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.

I would have been polite, while I figured exactly how I was going to pound him into a puddle of goo. I don't show disrespect to others, I don't insult, I don't attempt to bully others, and I won't stand that behavior directed towards me. If I saw it happening to someone else, I'd gladly step in. I won't be a victim, and if I can help it, no one around me will become a victim.

My question is how did you respond??

Another good example of "when seconds count, the cops are only minutes away!"

The first thought that strikes me about a request from someone with a child that does not want their child in any photos is "Why"?

Yes, there are known pedophiles that go to parks to abduct children...very, very few. Most pedophiles or those Men who openly profess their love for boys, don't have the balls in the first place to be in public, especially around other parents....

No, there was another reason in my opinion. People that protective over their children that risk confrontation like that are probably hiding something serious. He overreacted because of something in his relationship with that child. Which brings me to the question of whether or not it was even his child?

If you had your pictures at home and were looking over them sometime, and the child suddenly appeared as missing, you would have evidence of it. Maybe he didn't want that...maybe he was afraid of him being in one and recognized as a fugitive.

What you describe is a classic overreaction by someone with a guilty conscience, or that obviously HAS crossed lines before and doesn't mind the feeling he gets from walking just over it, and controlling others.

I would have said, no problem to him, and moved to another area to watch my kids, but I would have paid special attention to his behavior every instant after that.

I don't think I would call the cops...unless something just really felt completely out of place with him and the child he was with.

If the guy continued and pursued me to another location, I would surely have a stronger reaction that included leaving with my children, and then reporting to the cops....For the benefit of every parent and child left in that park, who knows what might set some sociopath off next.

As for me, if it appeared my kids were getting their pictures taken by a stranger whether or not he was talking to other children, I would have scooped up my kids and got out of their and depending on the 'weirdness' degree, I would have called L.E.

So I agree it stupid for someone in a civillan capacity to engage another individual without knowing if he has a weapon, degree of fighting ability, etc., not having back up readily availiable etc. . . ESPECIALLY with your own kids present.

I disagree to an extent. If I am carrying in a public place, and see two people get into a fight, I will watch it with equal parts amusment and horror. If one guy is wailing on the other so hard he may kill him, I feel some obligation to keep him from dying. If I have to draw my gun to keep him from being killed, I would do it. If I see someone commiting armed robbery in a gas station, I would shoot him. So on and so forth.

Christ commands me to love this world as he does. If Jesus walked past an alley and saw a woman being raped, he cant say he loves every individual and yet not help her in any way he can. The same therefore would go for me too.